And She Vanished
by popularLosers
Summary: She goes by many names and has seen many faces. But one thing ties her back to them, the love basketball. It's surely a small world after all.
1. Chapter 1

"My name is Yuki Ayano." The small girl stood at the front of the class, twirling to the edge of her skirt. She seemed nervous but her eyes said otherwise. Her eyes were focused and lazy and strangely alluring. They flicked around the room effortlessly, seeming to take everything in.

"I came from Tensho Elementary." Her dark hair flopped over one of her eyes. Her uniform was way to big for her, probably a hand-me-down.

"I like to read."

Her eyes finally landed on a rather small blue-haired boy. His large blue eyes flickered a bit and his whole face turned bright red. He peered over the edge of his book.

She was standing in front of the class, but no one was paying attention to her. They were walking around and talking. She looked down at her feet before she began to move again. But within a blink of an eye, she was gone. The blue-haired boy was a bit surprised, seeing as she was no longer standing in front of the class.

"Hello." He almost jumped completely out of his seat. His face was still hot and he stumbled over his words.

"H-hello." His legs twitched recklessly.

"What's your name?" The girl asked.

"I'm Tetsuya Kuroko."

"I'm Yuki Ayano."

"I know. I heard."

"Oh. I thought you hadn't. It seems no one else did."

"Did you come from second grade?"

"Well yeah, dummy. I wouldn't be in here if I didn't."

"Where is Tensho Elementary?"

"All the way on the other side of Japan."

"That's really far."

"Yeah. Like this far." She stretched her arms out as wide as they could go, which at the time wasn't farther than a few feet.

The two giggled.

After that they got to go outside and play for a while. Kuroko showed her all of the things he could do on the monkey bars and how high he could go on the swing without anyone pushing him and Ayano showed him how to draw flowers and showed him her favorite books in the library. Most of them were really hard to read and made Kuroko's brain go funny. There were big words like "accomplished" and "comprehend" and "documentary".

"This is my favorite book." Ayano held up a gray, tattered book with gold lettering. But it was a big word that Kuroko couldn't read. He pouted and squinted at the book.

"T-rer-risk-tilion?" Kuroko sounded out.

Ayano took a look at the book and glanced at him and began to giggle. Kuroko turned bright red and slouched over, crossing his arms.

"That's not fair. It's a big word I don't know."

"Triskelion, I think." She smiled and opened up the book. There were lot of hand drawn pictures with a lot of spirals and shadows.

"What's that spiny thing." Kuroko pointed at the swirling lines that seemed to start from one place and end in all different places.

"That's a triskelion. A celtic one to be accurate." She smiled, tracing the swirls with her finger.

"Acc-ur-it?"

"Precise."

"Pur-sice?" Kuroko looked up.

"Exact."

"...?"

"There are certain types of triskelions. So to describe a certain one, like the celtic triskelion, is being more exact or precise."

She flipped a few more pages until she came to a picture of a castle. It was under ground and there were a lot of things like toys and things.

"This is a SIDHE. It's an underground palace."

"But how is it underground?"

"Magic."

"...?"

"I wanna see one one day." she sighed.

Kuroko didn't say anything. He couldn't. He wanted to take her there, but he knew he couldn't. He had no idea how. And to promise something to her and then not being able to do it would break her heart.

They spent the rest of recess reading and talking about stuff. Dumb stuff. Like their favorite colors and songs and cartoons and at some point they got the great idea to make a book tower which fell over every so often to Kuroko's dismay. But Ayano just laughed and laughed, which in turn made Kuroko laugh, and soon they were in a giggly pile, surrounded by books and drawings.

Kuroko lay there, eyes shut, nearly breathless. His chest heaved, but he smiled anyway. After a while, he felt a light pressure on his hand. When he opened his eyes, he was shocked to see her hand on his. He could feel his face getting hot again, but he really wanted to hold her hand too.

"We're friends right?" she asked.

"Of course."

"Promise?"

"Mhmm."

"You gotta promise."

"I promise."

"No you gotta do the secret promise."

"But I don't know the secret promise."

"Then I guess we can't be friends." she sat up.

"BUT...!"

"Do the secret promise."

"But I..."

"Do it."

"But..."

"DO it."

"But I don't...

"Do it or we're not friends anymore."

Kuroko's face was hot. He could feel tears beginning to form in his eyes. His chest began to heave and his nose began to get stuffy.

"B-but...I don't know th-"

Ayano stood up and dusted off her clothes. Then she turned and walked away.

Hot tears streamed down Kuroko's face, his lungs unable to let him breathe. He sniffled and snorted and rubbed his eyes. He stumbled up and ran out after her. He followed her and saw her walk outside. At the top of the steps he wiped tears and opened his mouth.

"But I don't know it!" he cried. The tears drop off his chin and began to stain the concrete. She didn't turn. He stomped and cried and whined.

"Alright, stop it." When Kuroko opened his eyes again, he saw a blurry image. But he knew it was Ayano. He nearly tackled her, but resorted to grabbing her arm tightly.

"Please be friends with me." he stuttered, still trying to wipe tears from his cheeks without letting go of her.

"Yeah I will."

"Promise?"

"I super secret promise."

"Promise promise?"

"Cross my heart and hope to fly and eat a whole bunch of pie." She said. He giggled, but was hesitant to release her arm.

"Hey it's okay. I'm your friend." she nudged him but he shook his head and snuggle closer.

She smiled and led him over to the grass where she collapsed, taking him with her.

They lied there for a while before Ayano began to talk again.

"Okay. Here." she held up her hand. It seemed to block the sunlight. After another long minute Kuroko released one of the hands that gripped her arm and let it trail up to meet her hand. She locked her fingers with his and took out a marker.

"...?"

"This is the secret promise, okay?" Kuroko nodded, rubbing his nose.

Feeling the marker touch his skin, he looked up to see what she was doing.

K + A

She drew a circle around the letters and let go of his hand. He looked down and looked back at her.

"Kuroko and Ayano forever." she said tracing the circle around it.

Kuroko blushed.

_Forever? _He thought.

Forever was a long time.

He looked back at Ayano. The way she looked up at the sky. The way the sunlight framed her face.

"Everything's okay." she smiled.

Kuroko let his eyes slip shut and...

* * *

Kuroko shook and shot up in bed. He could feel the hot sweat rolling down his skin and the tears moving down his cheeks and onto his chin.

_Why did he have these dreams? These horrible dreams that brought back these saddening memories. These nightmares._

He wiped the tears from his chin and the sweat from his forehead.

He sat back in bed and let a hand slide behind the desk nearby. His finger tips traced the odd carving in the old wood.

A circle and three figures.

"K + A"

_Forever._


	2. Chapter 2

"103 to 110. Seirin down by seven. The star, Kagami Taiga, steals the ball and is dribbling down the court. He can't pass to anyone. He'll have to take it to the hoop himself. He dodges one opponent, no!. TWO! THREE! This guy is unstoppable. He's made it the the inner court and he's _this_ close to making a basket. Five more seconds on the clock. Four. Three. Two. Number 11 is going in for a lay up. NO. A dunk. One."

Kagami's feet lifted off the ground as he jumped high up towards the basket. He flexed momentarily as he pulled his arm back and slammed it down, taking the basketball and hurling it straight through the hoop. The ball hit the ground hard, much faster than Kagami's feet did. He landed, heavily, and stretch out his arms in victory.

"The crowd has never seen anything like this before. The coaches and other announcers are ruling that...Kagami Taiga's dunk should be more than one point. Not two or three, but eight points! The crowd goes wild! Kagami Taiga has won this game for Seirin. Serin wins 111 to 110. Kagami has dominated the competition with his skill, technique and total awesomeness! MVP! MVP! MV-aaahhhhHHHH!"

Kagami nearly had a heart attack when he saw a rather familiar blue-haired boy leaning up against the chain-link fence.

"OI! How long have you been there?!" Kagami began to feel heat rising to his cheeks. He retrieved the basketball from the ground and took a few more shots to avoid Kuroko's gaze.

"Not long." Kuroko stared.

"You didn't see that...um...that whole thing did you?"

"What? When you 'dominated the competition with your skill, technique and total awesomeness'?"

Kagami jerk awkwardly,making him miss a shot and causing the basketball to fly off. Embarrassed at his own stupidity, he trudged over and grabbed it. "Yeah...that."

"Of course not."

Kagami mentally thanked Kami-sama for such a boring, nonchalant partner like Kuroko. He walked over and brought a large hand down on Kuroko's head, ruffling the smaller boys hair into a crinkly mess.

"If you ever sneak up on me while I'm in "the zone" again..." Kagami increased the pressure on Kuroko's head. "...I'll murder you."

Kuroko waved the comment off as one of their daily arguments and waited for Kagami to collect his things for school.

"Hey. You look more tired than usual." Kagami said, wiping the back of his neck with his towel. "Not that I care."

"It's nothing."

"You sure?"

"Yes."

"Really?"

"I thought you said you didn't care."

"I don't. I'm just saying that if it's important, I think I should know."

"And what gives you the right?"

"I'm taller and stronger and can hang you upside down until you give in and tell me."

"That seems like an odd way to do it, and a total misuse of you height and strength."

"Says who? I find it to be the perfect thing to use my height and strength for. Other than basketball I mean."

"Really, that's useless."

"Like you should be talking. You're such a weakling."

"I beg to differ. Besides, if you were to take away basketball from me I would have other things to fall back on, like my intelligence and-"

"Are you saying I'm not smart?!"

"You said it not me. But what I'm saying is if you were to take away basketball from you, you'd have nothing. But brute force and height can get you places. Maybe you could be a construction worker."

Kagami's eye twitched. It was physically and mentally impossible for him to tell if Kuroko was being serious or not.

"Are you being sarcastic or somethin'?" he asked.

"When have I ever been sarcastic, Kagami-kun." Kagami took that as an offense.

"Why you little-"

"Kuroko-chan! Kagami-kun!" One of the freshman smiled, waving at them frantically.

"To be continued." Kagami fumed. Although he couldn't really be mad at Kuroko. Some of the things that Kuroko had said were true. Kagami had no idea what he would be without basketball.

* * *

Kagami had several classes with Kuroko so he was angry all the way until lunch time. _What was Kuroko's problem anyway? Why did he have to state the obvious and make it even more obvious? Honestly, he knew he was the smarts person, but_ _to say that he had nothing to fall back on was a bit much._ Kagami literally face-palmed at his next thought. _Mid-terms were coming up soon and if he didn't pass th_e_n_ _he couldn't play on the team. _

"Bakagami!" Riko's voice echoed through the class.

"That's not my name!" He ground his teeth.

"Where are your mid-term reports. We haven't checked them yet, have we?"

"n-no...but..." He hesitated.

"Just had 'em over so I can check them."

For once, Kagami did as he was told and fished in his bag for them. He brought out several pieces of crumpled paper decorated with red marks.

"Oh, please don't tell me you-" Riko snatched the papers from him and scanned them over.

"HORRIBLE! COMPLETELY HORRIBLE!"

"KEEP YOUR VOICE DOWN!"

"WHY ARE YOU YELLING AT ME?!"

"BECAUSE YOUR MAKING A SCENE!"

"I'M MAKING AT SCENE?! YOU'RE MAKING A SCENE!"

"WHY ARE WE EVEN YELLING?!"

"I DON"T KNOW. I'M YELLING TO MATCH THE INTENSITY OF YOUR YELLING!"

Kagami felt confused. More than usual.

"Honestly though, these are the worst grades I've ever seen."

"I know okay. You don't have to rub it it." =3=

"SO what are we gonna do?"

"We?"

"We."

"I don't know. Hope for a miracle."

"Kagami, take this seriously. You're one of the best players the team. The team needs you. And what about Kuroko? If you can't play then he can't be your shadow." She pointed out.

"I don't care. He can get his own dam light."

"Well maybe he'll feels so upset that he'll got off and find someone else." Riko turned and began to walk away. "Maybe one of his old middle school friends."

Kagami cringed.

"Maybe Kise. Or maybe Midorima. Or Murasakibara." With every name, Kagami became more and more irritated.

"Or maybe even..."

"Don't you dare say it." Kagami warned.

"...his old friend..."

"I swear if you say it..." Kagami face with turning red again.

"...Aomine..."

"DAMN IT!" he slammed his fist down on the table.

"Kuroko is mine and mine alone. No one is going to be his light except for me! Me! Me! ME!"

"Do I detect a hint of jealousy?" Riko asked, smirking.

Kagami growled, but in all honesty, he was a little jealous.


	3. Chapter 3

Kuroko's eyes felt heavy and he could barely hold back his yawns. He had never been this tired in class before, nor had he ever been this bored.

He leaned his cheek onto his hand and slowly let his eyes drift shut. he wasn't sleeping, really. More like resting his eyes...

* * *

Kuroko sat at his desk, swinging his short legs underneath. He was happy. Was happy even the right word? No he was excited. He and Ayano had been friends for a while now, and every day he waited for her to come through the front door. But today he was getting a bit nervous. Ayano was usually early to school but today it seemed that she was running late. But he decided to brush it off and not worry about it at the moment.

_"Worrying gives you a worrisome heart." _He remembered Ayano poking him in the chest and telling him to stop worrying and to calm down. On multiple occasions. He gave a faint smile and went on with what he was doing.

...

Kuroko's eyes stung. He was going to cry. It was already after first recess and Ayano hadn't come to school at all. The teacher had told them to take out their journals and write how they were feeling and why. Kuroko stared blanky at the page. His hands didn't feel like moving, nor did any other part of him.

_I feel..._

Kuroko began.

_I feel sad because..._

His tears began to roll down his cheeks and he clumsily swatted them away with the edge of his sleeve.

_Because...I'm lonely._

He looked down at the words he had written.

His tears dropped down onto the paper, becoming small pools on the page.

He put his head down and cried softly into his arm.

_"...worrisome heart..."_

He practically stayed like that for the rest of class. When the teacher came around to pick up journals, she noticed him face down, so she shook him a bit and checked for a fever. Kuroko didn't really know if he had a fever at all, but his face felt hot, his chest felt tight and his stomach tossed and turned.

_"...worrisome heart..."_

The teacher had to take him to the nurse, who let him lay down and take a nap. But all he could feel was his heartbeat racing in his chest and all he could hear was the soft heaving breaths he took. A nightmare disguised as a dream. He woke up feeling worse than before. His head hurt and his stomach was nervous. yet, the nurse sent him off with a band-aid and a sticker. He got back to class and sat at his seat. The other children were outside playing. Kuroko watched them from the front window.

He felt alone which made him feel the urge to turn around to where Ayano usually sat, but knowing she wouldn't be there made him even more upset.

...

The next day Kuroko was late to class on account of his lazy dragging walking. He didn't feel like being happy today, or even being awake. He had had horrible nightmares the night before. There was one about Ayano that had made him cry. He dreamed that she was with new friends and she was just avoiding him. And when he finally caught up with her, she had said she didn't like him anymore. He had cried all night, so much so that mother had to come in and rock him back to sleep. And even that didn't make him feel better.

He missed Ayano more than anything. More than he missed playing at recess or more than he missed his crayons when they went, well, missing. He sat down at his desk and swung his feet. They were so short and small. Even Ayano was taller than him. When they hugged..._Kuroko's heart ached..._when they hugged...she always let her chin rest on the top of his head. She kissed him on the head too, and treated him like a baby doll. He hated being treated like a baby doll, but when Ayano did it, it was fine.

She always made sure his shoelaces were tied so he wouldn't trip, even though hers weren't. And she always made him blow his nose when it got runny. And she always read him stories. And she always made him be careful while running.

And she always, always, told him he had a worrisome heart.

He pouted.

He missed her so much.

"Kuro-kun?" A voice next to him said. Kuroko's turned so quickly, he nearly fell from his seat. There next to him was Ayano. She had her usual over-sized uniform on, but one of the sleeves was rolled up, revealing a blue cast.

"Ay-chan?!" Kuroko yelped. She cocked her head to the side, confused.

"Yes?"

"Where have you been?!"

"I broke my arm." she waved the blue cast around.

"Does it hurt bad?"

"No. The doctor gave me special pills. But I couldn't come to school if I took them 'cause then I would get real tired."

Kuroko could feel his face burning.

"What's wrong Kuro-kun?"

"I missed you." He let his head drop so that she couldn't see his eyes.

"I thought you didn't like me anymore. I thought you m-moved away." he tried to keep his voice steady. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Well, I kinda didn't know my arm was gonna break yesterday. But next time I'll be sure to tell you in advance." she joked.

"Stop using big words I don't know." Kuroko choked up, running a hand over his eyes to stop the tears from falling.

"It's okay. I'm back now." She place a hand on his head and ruffled his hair up. He sniffled and rubbed his nose, which ended in Ayano grabbing tissues and making him blow his nose again.

At first and second recess, Kuroko stayed inside with Ayano and played castles and people until Ayano's army of little toys took over Kuroko's block castle. At the end of the day, the teacher told them to take out their journals and write how they felt.

_I feel happy..._

He looked back at Ayano.

_Because Ayano is my friend._

Once he was done, he turned back to Ayano.

"Do you need help writing?"

"Nah, I'm ambidextrous."

Kuroko's mind blew a fuse.

"..."

"I can write with both hands."

"That's cool!"

She smiled.

"Look." Ayano held up her journal for him to see. She had pretty swirly hand-writing that made butterflies fly in his stomach. But what he read made his heart jump into his ears.

_I'm glad to be back at school with Kuro-kun._

Kuroko's cheeks burned bright red and he dropped his head down.

The two sat in silence for a while before Kuroko said anything.

"I'm...um...really glad your back...Ay-chan." A smiled danced on his lips. His body was becoming restless and he couldn't sit still the rest of the day.

* * *

Kuroko woke, feeling the sleep induced tears that were falling from his eyes. Or were they just regular tears? He felt them slipping down his arms now. There was an odd feeling in his chest. Where was he?

His eyes slowly focused and he took in his surroundings. He was still in class, the same boring lecture going on.

But this feeling in his chest? It was odd. Stuffy. Becoming painfully.

Air. He needed air.

He gave a small gasp and caught his breath. He had forgotten to breathe.

Kagami turned around sharply.

"What's wrong with yo-" He words stuck in his throat at the sight before him.

"Are you...crying?" Kagami asked.

Kuroko took all of this in and calmed himself. He rubbed the sleep and tears from his eyes. Kagami was making a face. A weird face. A worried face.

"Don't tell me your getting soft Kagami." he said, which made Kagami smirk a bit.

"This lesson..." Kuroko glanced at the teacher.

"...is boring me to death." he sighed.


	4. Chapter 4

"Kagami-kun, please tell me you passed." Kagami sat there, his head resting on his arms. Riko slipped the test grades from out of Kagami's hands before he could snatch it back.

"Wait!" He blurted out, but it was a bit too late. Riko had her hands on the paper. Kagami slumped over his desk.

A 90? He got a 90 out of 308. He practically failed. But he didn't remember there being 308 questions on the test.

"This is amazing!" Riko smiled. "Forget about the hundreds! You made it to the 90's!"

"What?!"

"You passed!"

"Really?!"

"Did you not know?"

"I guess I'm still in the American way of thinking." Kagami rubbed the back of his head.

"I can play!" he smiled down at himself.

...

"Rank 1 Soga Aya?!" Riko stomped.

"Rank 2 Riko Aida. Couch you got second...again." Hyuga scratched the back of his head.

"Who is Soga Aya?!" Riko pestered the grades posted on the wall. "I've never heard of him before."

"Me neither."

"Maybe he's a new student?"

"A really smart new student."

"Shut up. I'm such in a bad mood. I might even up the workout next practice."

"Please don't."

...

A hand was placed at the bottom of the list.

308

The hand started to move its finger up the list, looking for it's name.

205

It continued to rise. _Where was it?_

183

The hands still trailed up the list, skimming every name.

91

_Kuroko Tetsu_

At first the hand grazed the name, only to jolt back down to it.

_Kuroko Tetsu_

_That name is familiar._

_Kuroko Tetsu_

_Curious._

_Kuroko Tetsu_

...

_"Kuro-kun! Come play with me!"_

Kuroko gasped, his head jerking up hitting the edge of his locker. He grunted, rubbing at the soreness. The nightmarish dreams were getting more frequent. He found himself falling asleep the most random places. A bit of a blush lifted to his cheeks as he realized he was out in the hallway by himself.

He stuffed some things in his bag and slumped onto the door, slamming it.

He was worn out. Tired. His head ached, not just from where he hit his locker door. He was getting migraines. School was stressing out more than usual, and these odd zoning out moments weren't helping at all.

But, he did however, like that certain memory of Ayano. He slid down to the floor and let his eyes flutter shut, the echoes around him drifting.

...

_"...come play with me!"_

_He looked around. This...was the fourth grade playground._

_Kuroko rubbed his nose on his sleeve. Ayano was bouncing a ball on the small gray court next to the slide._

_"But I don't know how to play!" Kuroko whined, rocking from side to side._

_"I'll teach you."_

_Basketball. His first glimpses of it. He watched as the ball hit the ground only to return to her hands. She had told him to take a stance, which in reality looked more like a constipated old man more than a basketball stance._

_She stood regular, giggling, and Kuroko blushed as it seemed it was just a joke. He quickly stood up correctly, crossing his arms.  
_

_"Okay now, I'll pass to you." She smiled tossing the ball. _

_Kuroko awkwardly stumbled forward, causing the ball to bounce off his knees and roll away from him._

_"Jeez. You can't even catch?" Ayano joked, retrieving the ball._

_"I can! I just got nervous, that's all." He pouted._

_"Here. Let's try again." She tossed the ball to him. This time, he grabbed too early and the ball bounced away._

_"Oh come on now, child." She giggled, picking up the ball again._

_Kuroko was getting frustrated. His face felt hot and his stomach felt fluttery._

_"Kuro-kun. Catch!" She tossed the ball up in the air. Kuroko tried to follow it, but the sun blinded his eyes. He tippy-toed and hoped for the best._

_Luckily, he missed by a mile._

_Ayano shook her head, smiling. _

_"I don't like this game." Kuroko pouted._

_"That's okay. I'll teach you how and then you love it. Like me!"_

_Kuroko's cheeks burned red. Did she mean that he would love her?! Or love basketball?! He heart began to race._

_"I...um...you..." he stuttered, looking down._

_"Don't worry, silly. I teach ya how!"_

_..._

_the memory seemed to blur into a different one_

_..._

_"How do you know everything?" Kuroko asked. They were eating lunch out on the steps. Kuroko opened and closed his scraped knees and picked at his sandwich._

_"I don't." Ayano smiled, taking a bite of rice.  
_

_"Liar!" Kuroko pouted._

_"I don't know how to drive." She said calmly._

_"Yeah but we're just kids."_

_"My point is, I don't know everything."_

_"You know more than me."_

_"Not to be rude, but a lot of people know more than..." she glanced over at Kuroko's red face before laughing and ruffling his hair._

_He hated when she one-upped him. He hadn't grown taller than her in two months, and they were about to be in fifth grade! He still had a lot of baby teeth to lose and Ayano had already gotten her adult canines. He had been wearing the same sized uniform for two years while Ayano had to get a new one because her arms and legs were outgrowing the others._

_"I'm kidding, Kuro-kun." she smiled. "You're very smart."_

_"You know it's not nice to tease." Kuroko pouted, stuffing more of his sandwich in his mouth._

_"I don't mean to offend."_

_"Well..." Kuroko blushed. She looked so darn serious. It was really hard to be mad with her. He rubbed his forehead and stayed quiet for a while._

_..._

_the image blurred again. it was a different. the day was hot and sunny and the ground was covered with cracks.  
_

_..._

_"Come on now, kid." Ayano teased. "Now it's just gettin' sad."  
_

_"Quiet!" Kuroko rubbed the beads of sweat from his chin. "I'm getting the hang of it."_

_"Three years of basketball lessons from yours truly and you're still this lame?"_

_"Maybe you're just a bad teacher." Kuroko lifted his shirt and wiped the sweat from his face._

_"No way! I'm very good at teaching. It's what I wanna be when I'm older."_

_"Really?" Kuroko had never heard her talk about the future before._

_"Nah, I'm just messing with you." she smiled, dribbling the ball a bit. "Like I'd ever become a teacher."_

_"Then what do you really want?" Kuroko's eyes followed the ball but his mind was elsewhere. _

_"I wanna play the big time. Even if it's only for a moment." She said, crossing the ball over and watching Kuroko's reactions._

_"I wanna see that court." She kept her eyes down, focused on Kuroko's movements before she sped down the middle. Kuroko took an odd stutter-step and stumbled to catch up with her._

_"I wanna hear those cheers." Kuroko caught up to her at the box, but it was obvious she let him._

_"I wanna be somebody." She took a step back and jumped, causing Kuroko to jump with her. It was a fake of course, while Kuroko took a full jump, she'd only taken a hop and landed back on the ground before he did._

_Her speed was blinding after that. She slammed her hand down on the rim of the basket, propelling the ball in. She landed gracefully afterwards._

_"You're somebody." Kuroko huffed._

_"No other fifth grader I know who can dunk."_

_"Are you saying I'm a freak of nature?"_

_"I didn't even say that!"_

_"Yeah but you were implying that I was."_

_"Not even close!"_

_"So how would you describe it then?"_

_"You have a lot of growth spurts."  
_

_"Are you saying I'm freakishly tall?"_

_"Now you're just not listening to me!"_

_Ayano laughed. "Oh. How I'll miss you."_

_"W-what do you mean?"_

_Her face dropped, her eyes down-cast._

_"Kuroko...I'm..."_

_Kuroko's heart beat fast. She hadn't call him by his full name ever. _

_**Was it because they had fought?**_

_Kuroko didn't mind when they fought like this. It was...kind of fun. He loved to hear her voice. He loved every word she spoke, whether it was "kid" or "dummy" or "Kuro-kun". It didn't matter..._

**_She would...tell me if something was wrong. Right?_**

_...and in all honesty, he didn't care if she called him a "kid" or a "dummy". Because what was underneath all that was love. Because she cared for him. Because no matter what, she always made sure he was all right. Even when they played._

_Because she played to have fun and be fair. Because that's was how she was. That was her basketball._

_The basketball she played._

_"...I'm moving away."_

* * *

He was drifting. His head, swimming. He could hear murmurs around him, and something wet dripping on his face._  
_

Tears? How many tears had he cried? He opened his blurry eyes to see a flash of blue pass him by.

He shook his head and rubbed his eyes. His shirt was stained a bit with tears. What time was it?

He shook himself a bit and his vision finally focused.

He picked up his bag and sighed a bit. He placed his hands down to lift himself from the ground, but his hand crumbled something. He looked down to his left.

A piece of paper?

He smoothed over the crinkled mess and tried to read the handwriting.

'Don't cry Kuro'

Kuroko's heart skipped a beat.

Kuro? That name was familiar but...

His head snapped towards the direction the had saw the blue blur go but there was no one there anymore.

_Could it be?_


	5. Chapter 5

"You're not getting away this time, Soga!" the boy laughed running up towards the shorter player.

"Catch up to me and maybe I'll let you win, for a change." the other player joked, tossing the ball up and maneuvering around him easily.

"Okay. It's a deal then." he grinned, catching up the the other just as the ball reached the box.

She dribbled around him before stopping, twice, one to get into position and one to fake.

He stuttered a bit, nearly falling over. That's when she took her shot. With him preoccupied, she tossed the ball up, letting it swish through the net.

"Unfair" he grumbled, catching the ball and performing a perfect lay-up.

"You're lame." the other player slapped his back, making him stumble forward.

"Man, if you weren't a girl..." he trailed off. "Show me your _special move._ I've heard it's incredible."

"Not exactly. It's quite easy for most people." she said, leisurely bouncing the ball.

"Tall people maybe. That's still doesn't explain how you can jump so high, considering you're..." he ruffled her hair, one of the many perks of being taller. "...short."

He began to walk away when she throw the ball at him, hitting his back. "I'm not short!" she grumbled. She slowly calmed down and rubbed the back of her head.

"Plus, I don't even know." she sighed.

"That's a lie, Soga. You know." he grunted passing the ball back to her.

"Now show me what you got." He set up a suitable defensive stance and blocked her every move, but she was of course making her way slowly to the hoop.

Because of his taller form, he was able to completely cover her, so she couldn't just turn and had to sprint around him. But finally she was in the box again. Jumping up higher than ever thought possible, her hands reaching the rim. The other player jumped up meeting her and swung his hand in front of the ball but the ball sunk in. He grimaced. His large hands still weren't able to correctly block the shot.

She landed rather heavily on her feet with him a few seconds behind.

"Jeez, Soga, calm down." he smiled at her. "You know I can't block when you act like that."

"That's the point." She smiled back.

"I think I'm done for the day." he said, sighing a bit.

She quickly began to observe his body, noticing that his legs were a bit shaky.

"Have you been resting up properly?" she said, still examining his calves.

"Yeah, I'm just tired." he laughed and ruffled her hair. "It's cute when you worry about me." he lifted the collar of his shirt and wiped his jaw.

She stood there for a minute before visibly relaxed and giggled a bit. "You're so cruel, Teppei."

"Eh? Me? Cruel?"

"Highlighting how short I am."

"I haven't said a word about your shortness." Teppei laughed.

"See?! You are making fun of me." she pouted, crossing her arms.

"Oh come now. You know I can't resist you when you act like this." He reached out to ruffle her hair, but she pulled back.

"Soga, you're going to make me cry." He frowned, reaching out some more. His touch was again avoided.

"Soga-kun." he whined, reaching out for her. She began to turn when he tackled her.

"Soga-kun! Let me ruffle your hair!" he whined.

"No."

"Let me hug you."

"No!"

"Then I'll kiss you!"

"GET OFF OF ME, YOU IDIOT!"

She finally got him off of her, by rolling him over. He whined, unsatisfied that he hadn't gotten a hug.

"What's your problem, tackling me like that!" she scolded. "You could have crushed me."

"I'm not that heavy." he mumbled.

"Apparently, you haven't been weighed in a while." She grumbled.

He rolled over onto his stomach. "Hug me!"

"No."

"Hug me!"

"No."

"HUG ME!"

"I walking away now."

"hug me~" he whimpered a bit. "I always try not to hurt you, because I'm so big and you're so..."

"Don't say it."

"...small."

"I'm leaving now, goodbye." She turned to walk away, only to be tackled again.

"Teppei, you're too heavy." She groaned, trying to lift him off of her to no avail.

"I'm not letting you up until you hug me."

"Teppei I..."

"Not until you hug me!"

"...can't breathe."

"You're always saying stuff like I'm hurting you. But that isn't fair. You're the only one I can hug besides Number 2 and I don't want to keep cuddling a dog between practices for the rest of my life!"

"Who names their dog, Number 2?"

"You're not getting the point!" he whined, lowering his head down, trying to keep his voice steady. "I'm lonely..."

"Then get a girlfriend!" she grumbled, wriggling under him.

"I don't want a girlfriend! Girlfriends are too clingy." He groaned.

"And what do you think you're being now?" she wriggled some more.

"I want a friend that will hug me and take care of me and love me and give me kisses." He said, completely ignoring her question. She groaned and looked up seeing his large hands which seemed to glue them both to the concrete.

"That sounds like a girlfriend to me."

"Soga..."

"Get off of me."

"Soga..."

"Teppei I'm dying."

"Soga...!"

"Why don't you just hug you're pillow or something?"

"You don't think I've tried?! Pillows don't hug back!" he cried, rubbing his forehead against her shoulder.

"...lonely..."

"...okay..."

"...lonely..."

"...okay."

"..Lonely..."

"...Teppei..."

"LONELY!"

"okay, Teppei okay." she giggled a bit, reaching back and ruffling his hair. "It's okay..." He looked up a bit shocked.

"Bet this doesn't happen a lot, huh?" she smiled, watching as he visibly relaxed. She continued to ruffle his hair until he seemed to be calm.

"So...you'll hug me?"

"Of course."

"And take care of me?"

"When do I not?"

"And...give me kisses?"

"Okay now that's a bit..."

"It's not like we'll make-out or anything!" he sat up, throwing his hands in the air. "Just like...if...if I..." he messed around with his shoe laces. "...if I have a bruise or something...then you could kiss it and make it better." he blushed slightly.

"I know that mothers do that to their children and all, but I hope that you don't actually think that kisses make everything better."

He was completely red now and he placed his face in his hands.

"No that was stupid. I don't know why I..." he trailed off, shaking his head, embarrassed. She giggled a bit, leaning forward, brushing away his bangs.

"S'okay." She waited until he began to raise his eyes, still slightly flustered from his previous question.

"Do your legs hurt?"

"A bit. But it's just 'cause I over exercised them today and..." Before he could react, Soga leaned down and placed a soft kiss on his shin.

"!" Teppei could barely get any words out of his mouth, his cheeks becoming deep red again.

"What are you...?!"

"This is what you wanted, isn't it?"

"Yeah but..." he trailed off again, hiding his face behind his arms.

"That's what I thought." She rolled her eyes and kissed the other shin, making him shake a bit.

"You're so cruel, Teppei." She said again.

"What do you mean?!"

But she didn't answer.


	6. Chapter 6

Soga walked through the crowd rather easily, given her slight form and little to no presence, while Teppei kept getting blocked by every single thing that was ever made in creation. He whined every so often when he felt she was too far away from him causing her to stop and wait for him. She didn't want him to cause a scene.

"Thanks for waiting." he placed a rather large hand on her head, ruffling up her short black hair.

"It doesn't seem like I had a choice." she grumbled, shooing his hand away.

"You're so adorable." His long arms caught her by her shoulders and she was pulled back into a warm hug. This had been happening a lot lately, not that she minded, she only wanted to seem that she didn't. Teppei snuggled into her. He had to admit, she was getting taller now. He was able to place his chin on the top of her head without leaning forward at all. He nuzzled into her and sighed. Now if anyone had ever seen the too, they would have immediately thought they were lovers. The thought alone made Teppei blush instantly, and pull away.

"hmm?" Soga questioned, but continued walking forward.

"Nothing." Teppei kept his face down, hiding his blush. She rolled her eyes and turn back to the sidewalk.

"Stop being weird." she grumbled, crossing her arms.

"Ayano?" She stopped in her tracks at her first name, turning slightly to see him a bit more.

"If..." Teppei started. "..I...know that you've dismissed the thought...but..." His face ran red. "...but..do you...think...a...relationship between us...would..." His breathing was getting weird. Why did he feel this way? He didn't even like her...did he? His heart was beating in his ear and his stomach was fluttering.

"...I guess what I'm saying is..." he shuffled a bit. "...have you ever been interested in me?" he finally finished. He shook a bit, unable to look up in fear that she would be offended.

"Honestly...no." She lied. Teppei did interest her. Just not in _that_ way.

"...oh." He sighed, still looking down. He slowly raised his head, until finally he faced her again, a bright smile on his face.

"I just needed to get that out." he laughed, still blushing a bit. "I'm glad." he rubbed the back of his head.

"Stop being weird." Soga shook her head, smiling. "Grow up, Teppei."

"Soga-kun, you're so mean to me." He laughed, catching her by the shoulders again and planting a small kiss on her head.

"I told you no kissing!" She exclaimed, swatting at his hands without avail. His large arms wrapped around her small frame, causing her to sink into him more.

"Mmmm. I know." he rested his head on hers.

...

They had finally made their way to school, Soga hardly being able to put up with Teppei's childishness. Upon entering the school grounds, Teppei had made a complete U-turn in personality, seeming to not even know Soga at all. She shrugged it off, seeing as he probably didn't want to seem like a weirdo hanging out with a freshman.

She made her way inside. She had free first period so she decided to wait in the library.

She grazed the various books, looking over all the books she'd already read.

"Nothing new." she grumbled, turning the corner, when she caught a glance of blue. She stumbled back, covering her mouth.

_Kuro-kun?_

The familiar blue-haired boy sat at the desk, nose stuck in a book, as usual. She smiled a bit, seeing him normally was better than seeing him completely out of sorts. She slowly turned to walk away when a large wall appeared in front of her.

"AKKK!" Soga found herself pressed against the ground by a large body.

"sorry..." A low voice grumbled, lifting itself off of her. Soga blinked up at the tall young man on top of her. His red hair hung over his eyes and a slight blush touched his cheeks.

"s'okay..." Soga smiled a bit. The boy pushed himself up and held out a hand for her to take. She took his hand and he practically yanked her from the ground, making her jump and hit his chest hard.

"SORRY!" He gulped, seeing as she was much lighter than her had thought. "I'm sorry..."

He had caught her around the waist, suspending her slightly from the ground and he still held her hand quite tightly. Soga could see that his face was becoming even more red than before and she was sure hers was too. He slowly let her down, not breaking eye contact.

"Kagami-kun...?" A voice from behind her made her jump. _So familiar._

"Kuroko?!" The boy stepped back a bit embarrassed.

"Shhhhh..." Kuroko hushed him. Soga didn't want to turn around.

"Are you going to introduce me to your friend?" Kuroko asked from behind.

"Uh...umm.." The boy in front of her stuttered.

"Thank you for helping me..." Soga bowed slightly and rushed around him.

"Wai-" she heard but she hurriedly made her way out the door.

...

She slid down the wall, sighing slightly relieved. Why was she trying to hide from him?

_Because he's better without me..._

She smiled. His voice seemed the same and his emotionless eyes were the same and his hair was the same. She remembered the way he always whined at her when he didn't understand the words she said or didn't know where she was.

_"Kuro-kun! Catch!"_

The though of that first day on the court with him echoed in her mind.

"You're better without me, Kuro-kun."

"You know that's not true." A voice said. Soga looked up to Teppei looming over her, smiling a bit.

"What do you want?" She rolled her eyes, standing slowly.

"What no "hi"?" Teppei grumbled.

"I thought you didn't associate with freshman." Soga began to walk down the hall again, sighing slightly.

"I got caught up in basketball talk, that's all. Sorry." He rubbed the back of his head, smiling a bit.

She rolled her eyes again and walked away only to be picked up and suspended from the ground.

"Senpai notice me!" he whined hugging her close to him. "Notice me senpai!"

"I'm not your senpai!" She kicked, trying to get him to release her. "If anything, you're my senpai. Now, let me go!"

"Notice me." He slowly placed her down on the ground but didn't let her go. He pressed his face into her back and stood there. Soga felt weird like this. _What was his problem?_

"What are you doing?" Soga blushed trying to reach back to get him to let go.

"Why don't you notice me?" he snuggled softly into her his grip tightening around her waist.

"Teppei, we've been over this..." she pushed against his forehead. "You said you were fine with it."

"But why don't you notice me?" He squeaked her tighter. "What makes you not like me?"

"I never said I didn't like you..." she ruffled his hair a bit embarrassed. "I just don't like you like _that._"

Teppei fell back to the ground, bringing her down with him, pulling her into his lap.

"Teppei..."

"...you.." Teppei stuttered.

"huh?"

"YOU ALWAYS MAKE IT LIKE I'M NOT LOVED!"

"What do you mean?"

"You're so mean to me! And you never say you care..."

"Now I know that's not sure." she smiled, kissing his head. "I've said I care."

"When?" Teppei pouted.

"I can't tell you when, but I can tell that I do." She nuzzled his nose with hers, making him blush madly.

"You're lying." He mumbled, letting go and slumping to the floor.

"No." Soga smiled ruffling his hair and kissed him a bit.

"I...thought you said no...kissing." Teppei blushed brightly and covered his face.

"I know."


	7. Chapter 7

"Kuroko seemed pretty out of it today, and I don't think I've ever seen him cry. Even though he said he wasn't, I knew he was."  
Kagami thought leaning against his arm. Why was he so tired? He slowly let his eyes drift shut.

_"Taiga. Little Shinoyuki is here to play." A sweet voice said. Kagami blinked and looked around. "Be nice, okay?" English. She was speaking English. Kagami looked up to see a little girl standing next to his mom. Or what he thought was his mom. Her face was a bit blurry. He grumbled a bit, not really wanting to have a play date right now. But being a little gentleman he gave a small smile and ran into his room, where he thought she would follow. He quickly ran and scrambled under his bed covers, leaving only a small hole so he could see and breathe. A few seconds after, the small girl walked in. She looked around the room and Kagami's eyes followed hers. She looked over the basketball pictures and some of the toys that he had around. Then she looked right at him, which made him gasp a bit.  
_

_"Hello..." She bowed a bit. Kagami began to blush. Her English wasn't bad, but it wasn't good either. And to Kagami, it was extremely adorable. He understood how awkward it was to take like that._

_"We can speak Japanese if you want." He peaked his head out from under the covers, completely forgetting he was hiding there._

_"Thank you very much." She bowed again._

_"You really don't have to be so formal." He stepped down from his bed and stood in front of her. "My mom won't get mad."_

_"Okay." She said, still looking around._

_"Hmmm." Kagami pouted, shuffling his feet. It wasn't going good at all._

_"Do you wanna play?" He picked up a ball and tossed it a bit._

_"Play?"_

_"Um...yeah." he tossed a bit more before he tossed it to her. She caught it and stumbled back. Kagami's face became hot as he saw how small she was compared the him and how big and heavy the ball look compared to her face._

_"Sorry." he snatched the ball back, embarrassed, and stepped back a bit so he could see her fully. Her short black hair was cut oddly but still draped over her face and her small hands clung to the dress that she wore. He began to reach out, unconsciously and grabbed her hand. She was so tiny compared to him.  
_

_"Come on, let's go outside." He blushed, leading her out to the back. It wasn't much just a small concrete area and a hoop that he played with. He smiled back at her when they finally got outside, only to turn bright red again noticing that he hardly knew her name.  
_

_"What's your name?" He fidgeted._

_"Shino-Yuki, Ayano." She said finally after a long pause._

_"Shinoyuki?" He looked up. "That's a weird name."_

_"It's hyphenated."_

_"Highfedated?" Kagami rubbed his nose and pouted._

_"It...nevermind." She shrugged and looked around again._

_"Well...m-my name is Taiga, K-Kagami..." he bounced the ball on the ground nervously. She made him feel like a baby. Like he was no one important. In his nervous act, the ball bounced off his knee and tumbled away from him._

_His body shook. Did she not like him? Was he not a nice person to be friends with? His heart pounded hard in his chest and he lifted a hand to clutch at his shirt.  
_

_"I know." She shrugged again. Kagami's heart felt like it was sinking to his stomach._

_"Do you not like me?"_

_"I wouldn't quite say that." She smiled and playfully pushed him. "I don't hate you." She smiled, placing a hand on his head, ruffling his hair. "I just don't know you."_

...

Kagami's eyesight blurred as he woke up. Rubbing them he sat up and yawned, stretching his back out. He hardly remembered that day, or tried to forget it. Either way it was still kind of fuzzy.

"Shinoyuki...eh"

"Shino-Yuki..."

"Ayan...o.." _Isn't that the girl that Kuroko was dreaming about?_

_It may not have seemed like it, but Kuroko talked in his sleep. Kagami had heard him mumbling about an Ayano that day in class._

_I couldn't be the same...Ayano?_

_It was possible. It was a long time ago._

* * *

"So-ga-ku!" Teppai hugged her from behind. "Are you coming to my practice today?"

"Probably not."

"You're so cruel." He whined snuggling into her back.

"I told you. I don't care to see a room full of sweaty basketball players run around." She groaned.

"Are you sure you're a girl?" Teppei joked, earning a full deserved shove.

"I'm just saying..." He laughed, cuddling her.

"Please. I'll be lonely if you don't..."

"Seeing as I never do, why should this time be different?

"Because...coach has gone through all the other girls who wanted to be the manager for the team and she's looking for one now!"

"I'm not gonna be a manager."

"Why not?!"

"Because I don't want to."

"You're so mean." He laughed, slowly picking her up from the ground.

"Teppei, put me down."

"Just...a little longer." He tightened his grip around her. "So I won't be lonely."

"Fine..."

"You know, you'd make a good manager. You have the skills and knowledge and good eyes." He mumbled into her back.

She rolled her eyes.

"It'd make me happy."

Silence.

"Really happy."

Silence.

He nuzzled the back of her head.

"Fine..."

Teppei let a smile slip and he finally let her down. He held her quietly.

"You're so cruel."

"How am I cruel?!" She kicked. "Now stop hugging me, people are starting to look!"

"Seee...meanie..." He pouted. ^3^


	8. Chapter 8

Teppei practically pushed Soga into the gym and blocked any way of exit. So she was stuck between Teppei giving her puppy dog eyes and a room full of sweaty boys.

"You said you would." Teppei whined, his arms outstretched so he could catch her if she tried to pass him.

"Teppei you know I could pass you and get out of here if I wanted to."

"You said..." He whined even more.

"Okay, tell you what. If you can beat me in a five point game of basketball, I'll be your stupid team manager. But if you can't beat me, I get to leave, and you can't bother me about anything ever again. Got it?"

"That doesn't seem fair." He mumbled.

"A year with me, or a year without me. Those are your options."

"But I..."

"Take it or leave it."

"But..."

"Eh."

"I..."

"EH!"

"Fine..." He grumbled, rubbing the back of his head. He looked kind of unsettled and upset.

He left the doorway and went over to where a girl was standing near the benches. Soga supposed that that was the couch since Teppei had talked about her a lot.

"Hey, Riko...Um. Can I ask a favor?" He mumbled, rubbing his hands together.

"What is it now?"

"Let's have a small game between the team with the exception of my friend here. Soga-kun." He gestured to Soga who leaned to the side so she could be seen by the couch. "She is thinking of becoming the manager."

"We're not really friends." She rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. Teppei heart dropped and he whined.

"You're so mean!" Teppei pouted, his attention fully on Soga. She waved him off and wander out into the sidelines of the court, watching the team practice.

"Well the team does need some action...and a manager at that. By why her?" Riko eyed the skinny girl. She was about Teppei's height, a few inches shorter at most, with shoulder-length black hair that flopped over her right eye. She had all the usual muscle and bone structure, but there was really nothing that stuck out about her physique. She wore sport shorts and her uniform shirt, seeming to be comfortable.

"She's good. It may not look like it but she is. She's got a good eye. And a temper..." His eyes shifted towards her. "She can be a bit of a monster, though. Scary." He cringed. "Maybe even scarier than you." He shifted from foot to foot, a bit anxious on what she would say.

"Well...I don't mind if it helps the team with their technique and gets them a good manager." She crossed her arms and waited until Teppei had stopped bowing before she blew her whistle and gather the players around her.

"Today, we're having a team scrimmage. I want you all to pay close attention to you individual techniques and improve your strategies." She said and the team murmured in agreement. "Also, this is Soga. She is thinking of becoming our manager and is here to join the game today as well. Please be good to her." Riko turned to Soga and gave a slight bow which Soga returned.

"I'm sorry to intrude on you today. Please except my apologies. I would hope to learn a lot from you all today." She bowed greatly towards the team.

"Don't worry." A young man with black hair and glasses stepped forward. "We're happy to have you here." He held out his hand for her to take. "I'm Hyuuga Junpei. Nice to meet you." They shook hands, Hyuuga secretly testing the strength of her hands and arms. He smiled warmly, seeming to collect the data he'd wanted.

"Nice to meet you." She said.

Another young man with black hair stepped forward and smiled. "I'm Izuki. This is Mitobe..." He gestured to a slightly taller young man who smiled, acknowledging her, but said nothing. "...and Tchuchida..." The brown hair player smiled and waved.

"And there's Koganei, Furihata, Kawahara and Fukuda..." He gestured to the group of boys that looked her over before waving and smiling back. "And Kagami and Kuroko."

He gestured to the two boys in the back of the group. Barely paying attention, they were grumbling with each other.

Soga's eyes widened. Now Kuroko and Kagami she knew. She had met Kagami first, when she was three. Then, he name was Shinoyuki. Kuroko she had met second, when she had been Yuki...and now she was Soga...and her uniform fit perfectly fine now.

She smiled at how much they both had grown. Especially Kagami. He'd grown a good two or three feet since the last time she saw him and Kuroko had become more sure of himself. She was happy. She smiled at the two bickering children and nodded to the whole group.

"It's nice to meet you all." It wasn't likely that they even remotely remembered her, so she wasn't worried about that.

"Okay everyone. Split up into four teams and start a warm-up." Riko called before turning to Soga and Teppei. "Please, take your time and if you have any questions, please ask me or Teppei." She bowed and Soga bowed as well.

"Excuse me, Soga-senpai...?" Soga turned to the voice. She bumped right into the person in front of her, her hand landing on the soft blue hair.

"Ora...? Oh...gomen..." She smiled. Seeing Kuroko up close after a long time was so sweet. His hair still soft and his eyes still big and full of wonder. He hadn't even grown at all. She smiled down at him, before coming to her senses.

"AH! Mate! If anything your my senpai!" She raised her hand up and shrugged, earning a small nod from him.

"I was wondering if you wanted to be on our team." He gestured back to Kagami and a few other freshman who smiled and waved back.

"Of course! That would be lovely." She said, smiling and tilting her head to the side. "I wouldn't want to be much trouble, though." She blushed a bit. _He didn't recognize her at all?_

"No trouble." He gave a small smile and went back over to his friends.

"kawaii..." she giggled, turning back, hitting something hard.

"...oh." she rubbed her head looking up at the taller figure. It was Teppei, standing above her, his eyes watery and his face a bit red.

"You never call me cute..." he whined, leaning against her. She rolled her eyes and gave him a small shove.

"If I win this game, I'll never have to. Don't forget we're on different teams." She jabbed a finger into his side, making him jump a bit.

Teppei whined again, trying not to cry...but if he lost...he'd lose everything...


End file.
